


And They Were Roommates

by ssodangdark



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Masturbation, Roommates, bisexual Rhett, sexually confused Link
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-05 04:24:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16803589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssodangdark/pseuds/ssodangdark
Summary: Link had a million questions. He wanted to ask Rhett how he became aware of his sexuality. Had he always known, or did something trigger it? When was his first experience with a man? Was his attraction to men any different than his attraction to women? If you’re not interested in kissing women, does that mean you’re gay? Instead, he kept his mouth shut and continued to listen to Rhett’s story. He wasn’t ready yet to air his thoughts to the world.





	1. It's Okay to Kiss Boys

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter title is adapted from "Told Ya So" by Adult Mom.

Link sat cross-legged on his bed, his neglected textbook open in front of him. He glanced over to Rhett’s side of the room and saw his roommate at his desk working on some sort of homework. Link felt his stomach flutter, and confusion crept back into his mind.

For as long as he could remember, he had never been particularly interested in girls, although he’d never had an obvious attraction to guys either. He had one girlfriend back in high school, but they were only together for a few months before Link ended it. He hadn’t felt any connection, and told her he saw her more as a friend. There wasn’t anything wrong with her – she was fairly attractive, very funny, and the two of them had a good time together. But Link felt slightly uncomfortable whenever they were physical – in their three months of dating they hadn’t moved past first base, and he could tell that she wanted more than that, so he decided to call it quits before they put themselves in an awkward situation.

Of course, he had questioned his sexuality ever since that moment. Was his experience with his high school girlfriend just caused by a genuine lack of attraction for her specifically? Or was it indicative of a more chronic lack of attraction to women? Link truly didn’t have an answer to that question. He had never had the opportunity to explore those thoughts or feelings. He couldn’t ever remember being explicitly attracted to any guys at school, but on the other hand, he would readily admit that generally speaking, he found men attractive. But come on, it’s 2018. Guys are allowed to think other guys look good. Right?

And then there was Rhett. Six foot seven with wavy amber locks and a scruffy beard, Link definitely had to admit that his roommate was attractive. He had heard horror stories about terrible freshman roommates. He knew that most of his friends could barely even tolerate their roommates. Link felt lucky to have been randomly paired with someone he actually liked. He felt an inexplicable draw to the man, doing everything possible to move their relationship past just being roommates and into a genuine friendship.

Then, a few weeks ago, Link’s heart almost stopped as Rhett was telling him a story about a guy he had been interested in a couple of years ago.

“I didn’t know you were gay,” Link said, trying to make it clear that it wasn’t an issue.

“Well I’m bisexual, but yeah,” Rhett shrugged, starting to seem unsure of his decision to confide in his new friend.

“Cool,” Link smiled. Rhett softened and continued his story, satisfied with Link’s lack of probing questions. In reality, Link had a million questions, his own prior confusions bubbling back to the surface. He wanted to ask Rhett how he became aware of his sexuality. Had he always known, or did something trigger it? When was his first experience with a man? Was his attraction to men any different than his attraction to women? If you’re not interested in kissing women, does that mean you’re gay? Instead, he kept his mouth shut and continued to listen to Rhett’s story. He wasn’t ready yet to air his thoughts to the world.

\---------------------------------------------------------------

In the weeks since then, Link had found it difficult to see his roommate the same way. This new information about him being gay – _bisexual,_ was consuming his thoughts. Link had been struggling to understand himself for years, and now he was presented with a sympathetic ear. How could he continue to ignore this opportunity?

“Hey Rhett, what’s it feel like to kiss a guy?” The scratching of Rhett’s pen stopped, but he didn’t move his head. Link’s cheeks started to burn. As usual, he didn’t think about what he would say before it left his mouth, and he was regretting such a straightforward choice of words. Finally Rhett turned around, barely holding back a smile.

“It feels nice,” he said softly, looking at Link the way you’d look at a child who just asked an endearing question.

“Is it, like, different than kissing a girl?” Link didn’t really get the level of detail he had wanted out of his first question, so he dug a little deeper.

“I mean, physically it’s different. Girls’ lips are usually a little softer. Their faces are a _lot_ softer. Emotionally, I guess it depends on your connection with the person.” Link nodded, his eyes lowered to look at his textbook. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Rhett, but he could tell his roommate had given up attempting to conceal his grin. “Why do you ask?” Link’s heart leapt into his throat. Rhett stood from his chair and leaned against his own bed, arms crossed.

“I don’t– I mean–” Link stuttered, unsure of where to go next. Should he brush it off as just curiosity? Or should he open up and finally take the opportunity to talk through his confusion? “I’ve only kissed one girl,” he confessed, anxiety starting to creep into his voice. Rhett quickly replaced his amused smile with a soft and empathetic expression. “I was sixteen and we were dating and I was just really not into kissing her,” the words tumbled out of his mouth and it felt so good to finally admit it out loud. “She’s the only person I’ve ever kissed, and I’ve never really known what to think about it. I’ve kind of wondered since then if maybe, I mean, I don’t know, I don’t necessarily think I’m, _you know –”_

“You’re wondering if kissing a guy would be any different,” Rhett stated matter-of-factly. Link was relieved to be saved from his rambling, and was thankful that Rhett had finished his thought and hadn’t forced him to put his own feelings into words. But then Rhett stood up straight and crossed the short distance between their beds, and Link was sure there was no way Rhett couldn’t hear his heart thumping in his chest. Link’s bed was raised to allow for storage underneath, and thanks to his roommate’s incredible height, they were now at eye level with each other. Link looked up, nodded, and shrugged, unable to actually form the words. “I mean, if you want to see what it’s like, I’d be more than happy to help,” Rhett offered. “Just putting it out there. Wouldn’t want to confuse you even more by kissing someone you’re not even attracted to, though,” he added, backtracking slightly.

“Okay,” Link responded before Rhett could retract his suggestion completely. Rhett raised an eyebrow, apparently surprised that Link was taking him up on his offer.

“Okay,” he echoed. “Like, right now?”

“Sure,” Link shifted slightly on his bed so that he was better facing his friend. Even with the added height of his bed, Rhett still stood a good few inches above him. His heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that he could barely think straight. He never would have thought that his question would have led to this.

Rhett slowly began to lean down, gradually closing the distance between them. His eyes flicked down from Link’s eyes to his lips, and then back up to his eyes. Link leaned forward, trying to communicate that yes, he was okay with this, and Rhett finally pressed his lips gently to Link’s. The kiss was chaste and innocent, no more than a delicate peck on the lips. Link sat paralyzed as Rhett held his lips in place for a moment before parting them ever so slightly and placing a gentle kiss on Link’s top lip. The two separated just a bit as Rhett slowly opened his eyes. Link’s eyes had been open the whole time, not wanting to miss a single moment of the experience. Rhett smiled and Link’s heart danced inside of his chest.

Link moved forward and connected their lips again with a bit more pressure. This time neither of them moved to separate themselves. Rhett kissed back, and soon it was unclear if one of them was leading or if their actions were purely mutual.

Rhett raised a hand to Link’s face, softly cupping the side of his face. His fingers brushed into Link’s hair while his palm cupped his cheek. After a moment, they separated again. Link’s lips remained parted and he blinked a few times, unable to remove his eyes from Rhett’s.

“So?” Rhett asked. “What does it feel like to kiss a guy?”

Link could feel electricity coursing through his lips, his stomach was twisted into a knot, and his heart was still pounding. He continued to stare at Rhett, still incapable of forming a response. Eventually he managed to answer. “It feels nice.”

A smile started to creep back onto Rhett’s face.

“See, I told you,” Rhett wiggled his eyebrows and grinned. “Now you know.” He took a step back from Link’s bed and winked before walking back to his desk.

“Yeah,” Link said quietly, eyes still glued to the back of his roommate’s head. “Now I know.”


	2. I Like You Way Too Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rhett wasn’t trying to hide his bisexuality, he just hadn't found the right moment to bring it up. He was eager to set the record straight -- some guys can be weird about things like that, and he wanted to be transparent with him. Rhett didn’t want to risk them getting any closer without him knowing the truth. If Link wasn’t cool with him being bisexual, he’d rather know now, before their friendship got any deeper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title taken from "Falling For You" by Weezer.

Rhett knew he was unbelievably screwed; this was not new information. He had been screwed since the first time he walked into his dorm room to meet his new roommate. He had arrived on campus for basketball practice about a week earlier than the general student population, so he’d had a few days in his new room to himself. Although Rhett was on the basketball team, he was far from being the stereotypical popular jock. He had a unique sense of humor, loved to be weird, and was pretty introverted around new people. He was nervous to meet his new roommate, and prayed that he would at least be tolerable and not a binge-drinking frat boy.

When he came back from practice one day to find his door already open, he figured it was the moment of truth – time to find out who he’d be living with for the next nine months. He peered around the doorframe and caught sight of who he assumed must be his new roommate standing in front of the dresser, shaking his hips from side to side and singing a tune to himself while folding his clothes. Rhett stayed silent, taking a few moments to observe this stranger before making his entrance. If he was being honest, he was actually kind of captivated by the way the man was moving his lower body so naturally, his broad shoulders serving as a handsome complement to his slender hips. Eventually he shook himself out of his trance and started to walk into the room, clearing his throat so he would be heard.

His roommate jumped a little, dropping the shirt that was in his hands. He turned around, his hair flopping into his eyes

“Oh man, you scared me!” he laughed, brushing his hair out of his face.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to,” Rhett apologized. “I tried not to sneak up on you.”

“No, it’s fine. I’m pretty jumpy.” The new man gazed up at Rhett and smiled, not introducing himself.

“Um, I’m Rhett,” he finally broke the silence. “I guess we’re roommates?”

“Oh! I was wondering where you were all day. I’m Link.” Link held out his hand for a handshake and Rhett awkwardly wiped his sweaty palms on his basketball shorts before shaking his hand and explaining where he had been.

The two of them talked for a while and Rhett helped Link finish unpacking his clothes. A few hours later, Link left the room to shower and Rhett flopped onto his bed, exhausted by the whirlwind of social interaction. He closed his eyes, and the image of Link’s swaying hips floated back into his mind. He pictured their first encounter – his new roommate turning around, bright blue eyes wide in surprise, mouth hanging open slightly. Rhett felt his stomach flip over and he rubbed his eyes, trying to erase any worrying thoughts of the man with whom he now had to share a 12-foot by 12-foot living space.

At that moment, Link walked back into the room, a towel hanging low on his hips. He was thin and decently toned. Rhett’s eyes scanned his body, stopping at the patch of hair snaking up from under the towel. His stomach dropped with even more intensity this time as he quickly averted his eyes. He was definitely screwed.

\------------------------------------------------------------

It was three weeks into the semester and Rhett still hadn’t found a good opportunity to come out to Link. He wasn’t trying to hide his bisexuality, he just hadn’t found the right moment to bring it up. He was eager to finally set the record straight – some guys can be weird about things like that, and he wanted to be transparent with Link. They were growing closer as friends – eating dinner together at the dining hall most nights, staying up on weekends playing video games, bonding over their remarkably similar music taste. Rhett didn’t want to risk them getting any closer without Link knowing the truth. He had lost a few friends when he came out in high school, and he didn’t want to experience that level of hurt again. If Link wasn’t cool with him being bisexual, he’d rather know now, before their friendship got any deeper.

For the past month, he had been desperately trying not to nurse his attraction to his roommate, but it was nearly impossible. He was head-over-heels obsessed with Link, and didn’t he even know if the kid was into guys. Maybe mentioning his sexuality would prompt Link to share his own, and then at least he would know whether or not his crush was hopeless.

That night in their room, Rhett decided to just bite the bullet and drop a hint while the two of them were swapping stories from high school.

“So I was in the backseat, stuck between a girl from my AP bio class and this guy that I had a huge crush on –” He was in the middle of his story when Link interrupted him.

“I didn’t know you were gay.” Rhett panicked internally. He couldn’t read Link’s tone at all. The whole point of this story was to get Link to realize he wasn’t straight, but he hadn’t expected him to derail the entire conversation right then and there.

“Well I’m bisexual, but yeah,” he trailed off, unsure of what else to say. He studied Link’s face for a reaction, bracing himself for the potential worst-case scenario. After what seemed like an eternity, Link finally responded.

“Cool,” he said with a caring smile. In that moment, it felt like a ton of bricks had been lifted from Rhett’s chest. His heart was still pounding, but he was satisfied with his roommate’s response. He didn’t learn anything about Link’s sexuality, but if he was being honest, he didn’t know if he could handle that information right now. His head was spinning from the dizzying effect Link’s smile had on him, and he was afraid of what else might happen if the conversation were to go any further. Just when he felt like he was starting to gain some sort of control over the feelings he had for Link, that small bit of acceptance made everything come crashing right back down. He was _really_ screwed.

\------------------------------------------------------------

“It feels nice.” Rhett stood face to face with his roommate, having just separated from their experimental kiss. He grinned, hoping that his heart-bursting joy would be mistaken for lighthearted humor at the situation.

“See, I told you.” Rhett wiggled his eyebrows playfully. “Now you know.” He pushed away from Link’s bed, feeling weightless. He winked before turning around and walking back to his desk. Blood rushed into his ears, drowning out any response Link might have given. He tried to calm his breathing as his heart pounded out of his chest. Sitting back in his desk chair, he raised a hand to barely touch his lips, afraid to wipe away a single trace of what he just experienced.

He really couldn’t believe what just happened – in the short time that they had known each other, Link had never given any indication of his sexuality. Unlike Rhett’s other new college friends, Link didn’t seem overly eager to explore the freedom that college allowed by hooking up with any girl he could find. But on the other hand, Rhett had given him the perfect opportunity a few weeks ago to express his interest in men, and he hadn’t taken it. Rhett had done his best to push away his feelings after that, figuring he had no chance. Of course, now with the added element of sexual confusion, Link’s silence made sense. Once again, he could feel the emotional floodgates being opened, all of his feelings for Link pouring back into his chest.

Suddenly hyper-aware that Link was still in the room, Rhett slyly turned his head just enough to glance at Link’s bed out of the corner of his eye. He saw his friend still in the same position, brow furrowed and staring fixedly at his textbook. Rhett’s heart dropped a bit, once again unable to read the expression on Link’s face. While it was happening, he felt as though Link was enjoying the kiss, but his current visage did not make that clear. Maybe the kiss revealed to Link what he was hoping to discover – that kissing a guy was in fact worse than kissing girl. Rhett swallowed hard and turned back around to face his own desk, self-doubt creeping into the crevices of his heart. He was unbelievably screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for paying attention to this. :^) Bigtime shoutout to @thefrenchmaidoutfit on tumblr for beta reading. Please let me know what you think in the comments, or on tumblr @ssordangdark. I really enjoy your feedback!


	3. Figuring It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link's heart ached, angry with himself for refusing to just act like a normal human being and treat Rhett in the same friendly way he had before their kiss. He hoped that Rhett wasn’t reading into it, and that their friendship wouldn’t be affected long term. Hopefully he just needed some time to settle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that the rating has changed.

It had been two days since their kiss and Link hadn’t allowed himself to think about it yet. When it happened, he had been overcome by an assault of confusing emotions and realizations. It felt like the first time he ever wore glasses and could finally see the details of the leaves on trees. Before that, he just thought that everyone saw the world in this slightly fuzzy way. In a similar way, before the kiss, he thought it was normal to have such a frustrating and confusing view of sex and dating.

With this new perspective, so many memories now made sense – protective jealousy over his male friends; feeling like something was wrong with him when all of his friends started noticing girls’ bodies and he just didn’t understand what was so special about them; inexplicable sadness that manifested into anger towards his best friend for spending more time with his girlfriend than with Link. He wasn’t ready to confront these revelations just yet. There was rarely a moment when Link was able to be alone in his and Rhett’s room, and he knew he would want to sort through these feelings in complete solitude. Rhett was going home this weekend, and Link silently promised himself that he would use that alone time to figure himself out.

Link slowly peeked out from under his covers, the morning sun shining in from behind the blinds. He glanced over to see Rhett still asleep. Letting out a sigh of relief, he slipped out of bed, grabbed his shower basket and a towel, and headed to the bathroom. He’d been awkward and nervous around Rhett ever since their kiss, unsure of what it meant for their friendship. He felt bad for trying to minimize their time spent alone together since that moment, but he really didn’t feel prepared to spend any extended periods of time with Rhett until he could process his emotions.

When he returned to the room after his shower, his roommate was out of bed and starting to get dressed. Rhett nodded towards him in lieu of a verbal greeting and continued to get ready. Link quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed his backpack, and started to walk out of the room.

“Hey,” Rhett called after him. “Remember, I’m going home this weekend. I’ll be back Sunday night.”

“Okay, have fun,” Link mumbled over his shoulder before continuing on his way. His heart ached, angry with himself for refusing to just act like a normal human being and treat Rhett in the same friendly way he had before their kiss. He hoped that Rhett wasn’t reading into it, and that their friendship wouldn’t be affected long term. Hopefully he just needed some time to settle. After all, Link wasn’t angry or upset with Rhett, just confused. So far Rhett didn’t seem to be acting any differently since the kiss, which made sense considering he probably just did it to humor Link. Despite that, Link worried that if he continued to act so stiff around his roommate, he’d eventually give up and start to pull away, effectively unraveling their friendship. He sighed and pressed his palms to his temple – he had a lot to think about later.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Link was awoken by a tight feeling in his lower abdomen, and found he was pressing himself into his mattress as he opened his eyes. As he gained consciousness he quickly looked over to Rhett’s bed, relieved to remember that his roommate was gone for the weekend. His cheeks burned with shame as he shook the remnants of his dream from his mind. All he could remember of the dream was Rhett’s hands below his belt and his lips all over his mouth and neck. Link felt guilty, like dreaming about his roommate without his knowledge was some sort of violation of privacy.

Link did his best to clear his mind of Rhett, but couldn’t rid himself of the pressure he felt in his boxer briefs. He flipped on his back and brought a hand down to rub at his crotch. A pleasant sensation shot up through his stomach and he swallowed.

Link had only ever used masturbation as a means to an end. Nothing fancy or emotional, just whatever he needed to do to get the job done. His past confusions had made it difficult to jerk off to elaborate fantasies or scenarios, so he mostly just went through the motions in order to find relief when he needed it. He was determined to continue that pattern right now.

He spit in his hand and then lowered it back to his groin, slipping it under the waistband of his underwear. He gripped his cock, already half hard from his dream, and started to rub up and down. Eyes closed in concentration, he focused on breathing in and out of his nose, trying to stay as silent as possible.

He was doing his best to concentrate on getting off without any stray thoughts when his phone dinged and his eyes fluttered open, stopping his movements. He hesitated before leaning over to glance at the phone sitting next to him on his dresser. The screen was bright, displaying **_Rhett: iMessage_** for him to see. His heart jumped to his throat and he let out an unintentional groan, trailing his hand back down to his pelvis. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to steady his breathing, turned on by the idea that Rhett had been thinking of him at the exact moment he happened to be touching himself.

He resumed his actions more slowly, taking his time. He gave up trying to push away his thoughts of Rhett, chasing the feeling he got when he saw his name on the phone screen. One hand rested on his chest as the other stroked his erection. Link pictured Rhett above him, his hand in his hair as it had been when they kissed. He moaned and bucked into his hand, imagining it were Rhett’s broad hands instead.

“Yes, fuck,” he breathed, allowing himself to get lost in his fantasy. Pressure continued to build in his abdomen as he worked himself closer to release, all the while dreaming of Rhett’s hands, his lips, and the dirty words he might say. Link arched his back as he came, pumping his aching cock. A loud moan escaped from his lips and he slapped his free hand over his mouth. He caught his breath as his orgasm subsided. His mouth hung open, shocked at the intensity he had just experienced. Usually the relief he felt after masturbating felt similar to scratching a really bad itch, or sneezing after a long buildup, but this was completely different. He couldn’t believe he had been missing out this whole time by refusing to allow himself to explore his sexuality.

Link then remembered the text from Rhett that had been left unread. He picked up the phone with his clean hand and swiped it open. His heart swelled as he saw that Rhett had sent him a selfie of himself holding a small white dog. Rhett’s mouth was stretched in his signature closed-lip smile, creases forming at the sides of his eyes, as the dog licked his face. **_Barbara says hi._**

Link buried his face in his pillow, unable to contain the massive grin that was stretching across his face. His chest felt full and ready to burst. He typed out a response – **_Hi Barbara!_** – and put his phone face down on the dresser.

As he came down from the high of orgasm, his brain starting turning once more. He still hadn’t taken any time to process his thoughts and emotions like he promised himself he would last night. He’d had every intention of doing that today. Doubt and confusion started to creep back in – was he attracted to Rhett? Was he _allowed_ to be attracted to Rhett? He sighed and hoisted himself out of bed, preparing for a long, confusing day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always to @thefrenchmaidoutfit on tumblr for beta reading this for me. And thanks in advance for you comments :) you can show me love here or on tumblr @ssodangdark.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to @thefrenchmaidoutfit and @fanbabble on tumblr for beta reading for me! This is my first time writing creative fiction in several years, so I hope it turned out okay! Please let me know what you think, either here or on tumblr @ssodangdark.


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